Christ the King: 34th Sunday Homily of the Ordinary Time Year B

Thirty-fourth Sunday Homily of the Ordinary Time – Year B

Christ the King Sunday

Readings:

Dan 7:13-14

Rev 1:5-8

Jn 18;33-37

1st Reading – Daniel 7:13-14

¹³ As the visions during the night continued, I saw one like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; when he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him,

¹⁴ the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5

R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

^1AB The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

^1C And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
² Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

⁵ Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

2nd Reading – Revelation 1:5-8

⁵ Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

⁶ who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

⁷ Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes. Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

Alleluia – Mark 11:9, 10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
⁹ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
¹⁰ Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel – John 18:33B-37

^33B Pilate said to Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

³⁷ So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Homily

The King’s Kith and Kin

“Yas, I am a king; I was born for this. I came into the

world for (his, to bear witness to the truth” (In)

A prince once strolled around his father’s kingdom and saw a malnourished family begging on the streets. Moved with compassion, he took them to his father’s palace and treated them as his own family. However, the, king overheard that the beggar-family was plotting to kill him and control the palace. Shocked, he ordered the family out. Years later, the king’s son once again saw that family in rags, rummaging in garbage-bins. On returning, he asked his father, “Can’t we bring back that family to live with us? The king suggested, “If someone lived with them to reform them, we could welcome them again.” The prince volunteered, “I’ll go to live with them, reform and reinstate them.”

Kings and queens seem alien, today, because all we see are ‘remnants of royalty either distributing Wimbledon trophies or displaying regalia at weddings and funerals. However, in Jesus’ time, ‘king’ conjured up myriad images and meanings beginning with God as King. Today’s readings are replete with royal language: king, ruler, power, empire, kingdom, majesty and so on. Let’s see what these readings mean.

The first reading’s ‘vision of Daniel’ does not refer to something that has happened (past), but is a proclamation (in mythological terms) of what will happen (future) at the final establishment of Christ’s kingly rule. There is mention of kingly power, glory, kingship and sovereignty over an “empire” where “all peoples, nations and languages become his servants.”

Today’s psalm (93) is one of the original enthronement psalms referring not to Christ’s, but to Yahweh’s, kingship. The kingdom spoken of is an eternal, reality. What is predicated of Yahweh in the Old Testament is interpreted later in terms of Jesus Christ. In other words, God reigns, reveals and redeems through his son, Jesus.

The second reading from Hebrews reveals three facts: (a) Christ loves us, (b) He has “washed away our sins with his blood” and (c) he establishes us as his family “line of kings and priests.” The reading ends with a self-proclamation of Yahweh under three titles: (a) Alpha and Omega-referring to the beginning and the end; (in) One “who is, who was, and who is to come”-reflecting the meaning of, ‘Yahweh’; and (c) Almighty (Greek, Pantocrator). All these are wonderful confessions of Christ’s Lordship.

The gospel begins with a query from Pilate: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Ironically, in the passion narrative according to evangelist john, although Pilate has power, Jesus is the one who exercises authority over him (see reflection of 29^th Sunday of Year B). It almost seems as if Pilate, not Jesus, is on “trial for truth”. Pilate fears the loss of his throne, whereas Jesus declares, “my kingdom is not of this world,” fearlessly challenges Pilate and will die for justice and truth.

‘Truth’ in John’s gospel refers to the kingship of Jesus himself. This implies that the true believer in Jesus should see and hear, reflect and respond to Christ, the King. This King is not a commanding monarch but a compassionate Servant-King, who gives hope, forgives sins, commends selfless Samaritans, condemns hypocritical Pharisees, washes feet, and accepts thorns as crown and a cross as throne in a loving act of kingly authority.

At our baptism, the priest used holy oil to anoint our heads, praying: “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet and King, so may you live always as a member of his body sharing everlasting life.” Indeed, we are made princesses and princes – like the beggars of our story – by our anointing with God’s Spirit. This demands that we live and love as Christ, The King did, fighting sin and evil, fostering truth and love.

Today’s feast reminds us that we’re the kith and kin of Christ, The King. May this end of the liturgical year mark a new beginning so that we might hear the words of Our King: “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you!”